USC’s Intelligence and Cyber Operations program (INCO), a degree program that addresses the intersection of global international relations and cybersecurity, has steadily been providing more trained professionals to handle threats to governments and private businesses since 2018.
“We now have 80 students enrolled, studying everything from digital forensics to Python, with instructors who are practitioners in the field. Over 90 percent of our graduates go into the private sector. That’s who is desperate to protect infrastructure like the power grid,” said Dr. Joseph Greenfield, associate professor of the information technology practice at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering.
Greenfield said the number of students has grown by over 200 percent, starting with the four students who completed the INCO program three years ago.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged students to join the program, with our graduates learning how to protect employees working from home. The idea of a perimeter around a network no longer exists. We are teaching strategies for ‘the new normal,’ ” said Greenfield.
Traditional engineering or computer science courses are not required for the INCO program. Engineering students are welcome to double major in INCO. Students in the program can take technical electives in information technology, such as enterprise network design.
Hunter Collins, who graduated from the INCO program in fall 2020, said he has focused on digital forensics, which involves collecting and processing computer-related evidence of physical activity and penetration testing as well as conducting mock tests to understand the vulnerabilities of a system. He also learned network security rules to protect the integrity of a system and network response solutions to prevent malicious activity.
“I currently work for Zyston, a cybersecurity solution provider headquartered in Dallas. In the INCO program, I learned how a Central Processing Unit (CPU) is designed and engineered. I also studied what I can do to prevent attacks on a CPU,” said Collins.
Collins said the size and physical characteristics of recently-made computer chips create physical vulnerabilities.
“The proximity of transistors on the CPU can allow a hacker to pull data that they otherwise would not be able to get unless they were in physical proximity to the device,” said Collins.
Brianna Relucio, a senior at USC who is completing the INCO program, said the program is teaching her how to deal with stress, pressure and time sensitivity.
“The three internships the INCO program helped me get, including a cybersecurity internal response position at IBM in Austin, also allowed me to become a mentor and resource for younger students in the program. Now I have a job as a federal consultant in cybersecurity in Washington, D.C. waiting for me after graduation,” said Relucio.
Paige Godvin, another senior at USC in the INCO program, said she will begin a position as an associate incident response consultant for FireEye, a Denver-based cybersecurity firm, in fall 2021.
“One of the things I like about the program is its focus on current threats. This past year, our classes analyzed and discussed concerns about the fall 2020 election, supply chain security and management during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise in ransomware attacks,” said Godvin.
The field of cybersecurity has close to half a million job openings as of May 2021, according to Cyber Seek, a technology job-tracking database created by the U.S. Commerce Department. The number of jobs in the field is expected to increase by 31 percent between 2019 and 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Greenfield said USC’s INCO program teaches undergraduate students through high-quality internships and immersive experiences as well as coursework, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This past year, we didn’t let the fact that everything was over Zoom stop us. Usually, we hold an in-person mock court experience to recreate a criminal trial concerning cybersecurity. Students are the expert witnesses testifying about their forensic investigation. Real judges and attorneys, off the clock from their full-time jobs in the justice system, preside over the proceedings. (They) play the roles of prosecutor and defense attorney. This year, we held the mock court over Zoom. We also offered online recruiting events for students over Zoom to ensure they were able to interview for internships and jobs,” said Greenfield.
USC was able to adjust a few other aspects of the program for the pandemic, engaging its Information Technology team in a “Herculean effort” to allow students to remotely log in to computers physically located in the cybersecurity lab on campus.
“We still had to scrap some labs because students had to learn at home. We can’t have students playing with actual malware on their personal computers,” said Greenfield.
One of the interesting features of the INCO program is its focus on four international geographic regions, Russia and Eurasia, the Middle East, East Asia and Africa. Courses on these areas allow students to understand what threats are coming out of certain countries and how to prevent attacks.
Collins, who studied the Middle East and China, said the regional focuses tied into his examination of IoT.
“The more points of connection, the easier it becomes to infiltrate a network. One of the things I’ve learned through the INCO program and am applying to my work is that manufacturers in the IoT space aren’t designing devices against vulnerabilities. When items are built to be disposable through planned obsolescence, the need for cybersecurity and workers in the field increases. There are so many possibilities for (an) attack,” said Collins.